My Hero
by SummerRain626
Summary: Leann looks up to her older brother Daryl Dixon. He has to look after her while their dad is in jail. Here is a look at them before the apocalypse when Le is very young. (The character, Leann, is from my story, Run For Your Life With Me) *WARNING* Spanking of a minor is involved in this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Leann!**

There _goes my hero_

 _Watch him as he goes_

 _There goes my hero_

 _He's ordinary_

* * *

I sat on the floor with one of my coloring books. I was coloring a picture of a butterfly. I reached for a yellow crayon and realized there wasn't one. "Shit." I said out loud. I know I'm not supposed to say bad words, but it's okay because my daddy isn't here. He left last night and didn't come home. I'm not worried though because it's happened before.

Just then, I heard a truck pull up outside and figured it was him. When I looked up at the person in the doorway, it was my big brother, Daryl. I jumped up and ran to give him a hug.

"Hi, Daryl!"

"Hey, kid." He patted my head then walked passed me.

"Daddy ain't here." I stated. "He left last night and—

"I know." Daryl said. "He's in jail. That's why I'm here. To take care of you til he gets out."

I smiled. That's the best news ever! Daryl is my favorite person in the whole world and I was super excited for him to stay here! "Yay!" I ran to him. "We can play games and watch movies and stay up real late and—

"Slow down, kid." Daryl snapped. "I'm only here to make sure ya get fed and don't set the house on fire."

I giggled. Daryl is funny.

"Say, what was ya doin' when I walked in?"

"Colorin'." I replied. "I made a butterfly but couldn't finish cuz I didn't have a yella crayin."

He gave me an annoyed look. "Where'd ya get that colorin' book? Ya steal it?"

"Nah, Billy let me borrow it." I smiled.

"All right." My brother raised his eyebrows. "Now, leave me alone for while."

"Okay." I grabbed my coloring supplies and went in my room. I laid on the floor and colored some more.

I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. I stood up and stretched, it felt real good. I wonder what Daryl is doing?

I walked out of my room and saw my brother sitting on the couch watching TV. I went over and sat at the opposite end of the couch. I waited for him to say something, but he didn't acknowledge my existence at all. I stared at the TV, he was watching some cowboy movie or something. It seemed pretty boring. I kept glancing over at him but he continued to ignore me.

Finally, something happened in the show so I said, "Whoa!" to try and get his attention but it didn't work. I crossed my arms and glared in the other direction. I guess I just have to be upfront with him.

I glanced over at him a few times before saying, "this movie sucks ass."

He glared at me but didn't say anything. I could tell he got annoyed, though.

"Are ya just gonna ignore me all the time?"

"…that was the plan, but it's kinda hard when yer sittin' there starin' at me." He finally replied.

"I'm not starin' at ya." I smirked. "I was just tryin' to get yer attention."

"Well, you can get attention from dad once he gets back."

"But who knows when that'll be?" I moved closer to him. "Sides," I laid across his lap, "I like you better." I giggled.

He just gave me an annoyed look.

"Say," I tilted my head to one side, "where's Merle?"

"He's, uh…workin'." Daryl replied.

I looked at him wide eyed. "I didn't know Merle had a job. What does he do?"

My brother looked like he was thinking. "…he sells things."

"Wow. What kinda things?"

"Things." He narrowed his eyes at me.

I giggled. "What about you? Do _you_ sell shit too, Daryl?"

"No, I don't. And since when do ya talk like that?" He said roughly.

"Since daddy left." I smiled.

He sighed then there was a brief pause.

"Well then, get yer ass up and go get yer brother a damn soda."

"Ya got arms and legs." I said with a scowl.

He sent me a scary glare.

"Fine." I said getting up. "Do ya want ice?"

He gave me a stupid look. "It ain't gonna put ice in itself."

I giggled. That was actually kind of funny.

I got him a cup and put a few ice cubes in it. Then, I opened the fridge and got him a can of Cola. I happened to notice how empty the fridge was. _What are we gonna eat for dinner?_ I thought as I poured his soda into the glass.

I walked back into the room and handed it to him.

"It's 'bout time." He snapped. He took a big slug, I just stood there and watched him. He looked me up and down. "Why ya dressed so much like a boy, girl?"

I looked down at my attire, I was wearing boy shorts with a tank top. I smiled. "You think I look like a boy?"

"Yeah, look at ya." He waved.

"Yay!" I squealed.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What do ya mean 'yay'? That weren't a compliment."

"It is to me." I smiled. "Ain't it great?"

"Nah." He answered immediately and took another gulp of his drink. "Now scram."

"I'm hungry."

"Well, what do ya want me to do about it? Go make yerself somethin'."

"But the fridge is pretty much empty."

He let out a long sigh. "Don't know what to tell ya, kid."

"We could go out." I suggested.

"Hell no." He laughed. "I ain't goin' anywhere with you."

I gave him a sad look.

"Didn't I tell ya to scram?"

I put my head down and went over and sat on the floor away from him. I pouted.

"Yer not gonna cry, now, are ya?"

"No." I rubbed at my eyes and stiffed. I sat there and made low whimpering sounds.

I heard my brother sigh. "Fine. Let's go."

I jumped up with a huge smile on my face. "Yay!" I ran over and gave Daryl a hug.

"But I get to pick where we go." He snapped. "And…change yer clothes. Ya look stupid."

"Okay, big brother, Daryl." I smiled.

"Yeah." His mouth set into a straight line. "Be ready in five minutes or I'm leavin' without ya."

I waited for him to walk away before I quickly changed my clothes. I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then headed down the stairs.

* * *

My brother parked his truck then we got out. The place we were about to go in looked abandoned.

"Ya ever been here, kid?"

"Daddy took me once. It was scary." I stared at it.

"It is."

I gave him a weird look.

"Fer you." He corrected.

"Ya come here a lot?"

"Not really. Come on." We began walking. "How old are ya now, anyway, kid?"

"Eight and a half." I smiled.

"What the hell? Why you so short?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I'mma kid."

He snorted. "I thought ya was like four."

I glared at him, which made him chuckle.

We went in and sat at the bar. The place was filled with dirty, scary looking guys. I stayed close to my brother. A few guys greeted him.

"I thought ya said you don't come here a lot?"

"I don't."

"Hey, Daryl." The bartender said.

I smirked at him.

"Okay, maybe once or twice."

"Yeah, a week." I giggled. He glared at me.

"Ya got a friend with you I see." The bartender said. "Is that yours?"

My brother let out a small laugh. "Hell no. This is my…baby sister."

I casted my eyes down for a moment. _I'm not a baby_

"Oh, I see." He smiled at me.

I smiled back. "My name is Leann, but most people call me Annie 'cept fer my brother who calls me Le."

The guy laughed. "I'm Larry. So, what can I get for y'all?"

I opened my mouth to say something but Daryl beat me to it. "I'm not that hungry. I'll just have a triple steak burger with some cheese fries and chili on the side."

 _Not that hungry?_ I thought. _That's enough food for the both of us._

"And for the little lady?" Larry looked to me.

"I'll have the same." I smiled. I wanted to be like my big brother. I could feel his eyes on me.

"All right." Larry laughed. "I'll get right on that." He walked away.

"You ain't gonna eat all that." Daryl glared at me.

"Well, I don't care." I crossed my arms. "I wanna be like you!" I smiled.

Daryl snorted.

A man walked by and clapped my brother on the shoulder. "Hey, Daryl."

"Hey, Barnie." Daryl said. "Asshole." He said once he walked away.

Larry sat our drinks down in front of us. Then, walked away.

"Hey, Daryl? Why is that guy an asshole?"

"Cuz he just is."

"But why?" I tilted my head to one side. "Is it cuz he's wearin' a blue shirt?"

Daryl gave me the dumbest look. "Yeah, Le, that's why." He snapped.

I smiled. _I was right!_

* * *

We pretty much sat and ate in silence. I finished not even half of my burger, most of my fries and barely touched the chili. I was getting really full.

"Havin' some trouble?" My brother smirked.

"I don't think I can eat no more." I put my hand on my stomach.

"Told ya you wasn't gonna eat it."

I looked around. "I'll give it to that fat guy over there. He'll eat it." I hopped down off my stole.

"Hey hey hey." Daryl grabbed my arm. "Rule number one: the food you don't eat belongs to me."

"What if I wanted to take it home and eat it later?" I pouted.

"Then take it home." He snapped.

"No. You can eat it." I climbed back up on my stole.

My brother snorted. "You don't make sense, kid."

"I know." I slid my plate over to him. "Can I have a milkshake?"

"No, ya cain't have a milkshake! Ya couldn't even finish yer dinner."

I gave him a sad look.

He sighed. "Fine. But don't ask fer nothin' else."

I smiled.

It took a while for Larry to make my milkshake. In the meantime, Daryl started a game of pool with another guy. The bet was twenty dollars. I sipped on my milkshake and watched. My brother wasn't bad but the other guys were way better. He lost.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl said. "I needed that twenty bucks."

 _Well if ya needed it, why'd you bet it._ I rolled my eyes.

The other guy laughed. "Tell ya what, Dixon, one more game. Twenty more bucks. Winner takes all.

"Nah, I cain't."

"Oh come on, man. One more game."

My brother looked like he was thinking. "All right. One more game."

They set the balls up and the other guy started. "I choose stripes." He said.

Daryl went next. He aimed.

"No, Daryl! Not that one!" I quickly got down off my stole and went over to them.

My brother stopped immediately. "Quiet, kid! I'm tryin' to concentrate." He snapped.

"It's the wrong move. Go for the orange." I pleaded.

The other guys standing by laughed. "What's this? You got a partner or something?"

"No." My brother snapped. "Be quiet." He said to me.

"I'm just tryin' to help."

"I don't need yer help." He aimed for the same ball he was going for when I stopped him. I backed off even though I knew he would miss. He did.

"Damnit."

"Should have went for the orange one." I said and sipped my milkshake. He glared at me.

It was the other guy's turn and he got one in then missed another. He laughed. Now it was Daryl's turn.

"Go for the orange this time."

"I thought I told you to put a sock in it?" He gritted his teeth.

"Look, will ya just listen to me? If ya miss, I won't say another darn word, I promise."

He hesitated. "…fine! I'll go fer yer damn orange."

"Okay." I smiled. "But make sure ya do it from that side." I pointed to the opposite side. He gave me a look but obliged. He positioned himself then hit the orange ball with the white ball which hit into the green and they both went in. I grinned from ear to ear. My brother gave me a shocked look. The other guys' expressions made me laugh.

Daryl came over to me. "How did you do that?" He whispered.

"It's just basic geometry." I stated. "It's all about angles."

"You know geometry?" He snorted. "Yer just a little kid."

"But it worked, though, didn't it?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Yeah, sure did. Now do it again and tell me which to go for next."

"Are ya askin' me?" I smirked.

He gave me an annoyed look. "Yeah, now tell me."

I examined what was left on the table. "Blue. Right side."

He did what I said. It bounced off the side and went into the right corner hole. My brother laughed. "Look at you."

I felt proud of myself. The guy my brother was playing against looked pissed because he was so close to winning.

The game went on with Daryl listening to my advice. He ended up winning.

"Hell yeah! Good job, kid!"

I smiled at him.

"Well, how 'bout that, Rus?" He said to his opponent. "Looks like that money is mine."

"No way!" The guy yelled. I jumped back. "You hustled me!"

 _Uh oh!_


	2. Chapter 2

"I did not!" My brother yelled back.

"How about we take this outside?"

"How 'bout we do!"

I got in between them. "Hey, back off! No one hustled no one! It's yer fault ya lost! And even if we did, it's still yer fault cuz yer dumber than a sack of bricks!" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I don't know what made me say that. I just stared at him wide eyed after that.

"What you say to me, you little bitch?"

"Don't call her that!" My brother snapped.

"All right, that's enough!" Larry the bartender yelled. He was holding a bat. "Rus, get the hell out of here!"

The man glared at us. I was a little scared, but that didn't stop my mouth. "You heard him." I smirked. The angry man turned and quickly left.

"Wow, that was pretty tough of you, kid."

I smiled.

My brother went over and grabbed the money he won.

"You're telling me you and that little girl beat Rus?" Some guy said to my brother.

"That's right." Daryl put his arm around me.

"I don't believe it."

"Ya wanna play us?" My brother asked him.

"You bet we do." He and his partner put some money on the table. "Winner takes this plus what you just won."

"What do ya say, kid?" My brother asked me. "Ya wanna play these guys?"

"I don't know. I mean…don't ya think we should get home?"

"Just one more game?"

I was unsure.

"Tell ya what, kid," my brother started, "if you play one more game and help me win some more money, I'll do whatever ya want while I'm baby sittin' ya. I'll watch whatever movie or play any game. How's that sound?"

I perked up. "You mean it?"

He nodded.

"Well…okay." I couldn't hide my grin that was spreading like wildfire.

I grabbed a cue. "Sure. We'll play you guys."

"Cool. Would you like to start?"

I glanced at my brother and he shrugged. "Nah, we'll be nice and let you guys go first. 'Sides, that's about all yer gonna get." I smirked.

The other guys set up the balls.

"Don't get cocky." Daryl scolded me. "We didn't win yet."

The first guy took his turn. He didn't get anything. I let out a small laugh.

"You wanna go first?" My brother asked me.

"Sure do." I took a good look at where all the balls were positioned then went for the best shot. The white ball hit a solid yellow which hit two other solids and they all went in. I heard the guys around us gasp. "We choose solids." I smirked.

* * *

The game went on and we were winning big time. We only needed one more. My brother was up. He aimed.

"Daryl, wait!" I stopped him. We moved aside. "I know that seems like the obvious move, but…don't do it. Trust me. Shoot from the top right corner."

"Ya sure?"

"Positive." I smiled.

"Okay, whatever you say." He moved over there. "Ya better be right." He aimed and my breathing stopped. If he makes this, we win all that money! He went for it and it hit the red ball which bounced off the bottom wall then the right side wall then went right into the top left corner hole. My eyes widened. He did it!

"Yes!" I yelled and ran over to him. I hugged him and he lifted me and spun me around. He took notice to everyone around and quickly put me down.

"So, uh, Hoss? How 'bout that money?" Daryl said to the guy.

He angrily slapped the money in Daryl's hand then took off.

"I cain't believe you did it, kid." My brother said amused. "I always thought you was dumb."

I gave him a shocked look that then became a sad one. I put my head down. Daryl never makes fun of me, I expect it from Merle but not Daryl.

"I-I didn't mean that. Hey," my brother put his hand on my shoulder making me look at him, "I didn't."

I just nodded.

"So how much ya make?" Larry asked Daryl.

"A hundred."

I began walking outside, I saw Daryl glance at me.

"Hey, why don't ya stay and have a couple drinks?" Larry laughed.

"Nah, I think it's time to go." I heard my brother say just before the door closed. I sat down on the curb and rested my chin on my knee. I heard the door open then close.

"Ready to go, kid?" Daryl asked.

I nodded but didn't say anything.

"Hey, what's wrong? Ain't ya happy? We just won a hundred bucks."

I just nodded again.

I heard Daryl sigh. "All right." He sat down next to me. "What's wrong, kid? It cuz I called ya dumb?"

I didn't reply. That is the reason, though. I'm not as smart as the other kids and it really bothered me.

"Yer not dumb, okay? Look what ya just did in there. I would have lost twenty bucks if it wasn't fer ya. And instead came home with that plus eighty more. Yer the smartest person I know."

"Really?"

He nodded. "But…don't tell anyone I told ya that."

I smiled. "You must know some pretty dumb people then."

He laughed a little and ruffled my hair. Just then, a man walked passed us that was going into the bar. He was wearing a blue shirt.

"Look, Daryl!" I yelled excitedly and pointed at the man. "An asshole!"

The guy looked back at us and glared.

"Okay, time to go." My brother picked me up and carried me to the truck. We laughed the whole way there.

* * *

"So, I was thinkin'," my brother said on our way home, "We won those games cuz of you, so…how 'bout tomorra I take ya to a store and let ya get a toy or somethin'?"

I glanced at him, he gave me a small smile. "No, dat's yer money, Daryl."

"What are ya talkin' 'bout? Ya won it fair and square."

"The deal was, if I help ya win you'll play with me." I said as sweet as I could.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"It's yer money. I don't want it."

Daryl paused. "Well…there has to be somethin' ya want. Come on, sissy. I wanna do somethin' fer ya.

I thought for a minute. "Well…I could really use a yella crayin so I can finish my darn butterfly."

Daryl smirked. "Just a yella one? Nothin' else?"

"That's the only one I need." I put my hands out.

"Oh yeah?" My brother laughed. "I'll see what I can do, okay?"

I smiled at him. He pitched my cheek real hard.

We arrived at home shortly after. I looked up at our dark house. Daryl was about to walk up on the porch, but I stopped him.

"Daryl, carry me?"

"Why cain't just walk?"

"I'm ascared of the dark." I said quietly. "It was dark last night when no one was here."

"Aw, poor lil thang." He lifted me and I wrapped my arms around his neck and hid my face in his shoulder. I stayed like that until he put a lamp on.

"See, kid, it ain't dark no more."

I smiled.

Daryl put me down. "So, what do ya wanna do now, cutie?"

"Let's play a game!"

"Ugh. What kinda game?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. I spotted a deck of cards on the table. "Let's play poker!" I yelled.

"Leann, keep it down, will ya?" My brother scolded.

"Let's play poker." I whispered.

"Very funny. Come on."

We sat at the table and played cards for a long time. I won a lot of times! I don't know if Daryl let me win, though.

"Show 'em." Daryl said.

I laid my cards down. I had three aces. Daryl had two queens.

"What?" Daryl said. "This is bullshit."

I giggled. "Bullshit."

"Yer bad girl swearin' like that." Daryl smirked.

"Imma bad bitch!" I yelled.

Daryl laughed. "All right, Leann. Ya better stop. Yer gonna slip and swear in front of dad and he's gonna spank yer bottom."

I stuck my tongue out at my brother.

"You'll see." He said.

"We playin' again?"

"Nah, let's just watch TV for a while."

"Okay!" I jumped up. I followed Daryl who sat down on the couch with the remote. I crawled into his lap.

"What do ya wanna watch?"

"I don't care." I shrugged.

Daryl began flipping through the channels, there didn't seem to be anything on. Our old, little TV only got a few channels anyway.

I was starting to feel tired and eventually my eyes were closing by themselves.

"Well, that's enough fer me." My brother turned the TV off. "I think it's time fer bed anyway. He ruffled my hair.

"No." I whined.

"What do ya mean no? Ya can barely keep yer eyes open. 'Sides, yer just a wee thang. Ya need sleep."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

I nodded.

Daryl laughed at how tired I looked. "Come on." He carried me into my room and helped me change into my pajamas, which was just an old oversized t-shirt. Then he helped me into bed.

"Goodnight, sweet pea." Daryl said.

"Wait, ain't ya sleepin' in here?"

"Nah, I figured I'd sleep in dad's bed tonight since he ain't here."

I gave him a sad look.

"...or I could sleep in here." He said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Jeez, just cain't say no to you. Little brat." He took his vest off and got into the bed. I put my arm on him and laid my head on his chest.

"I had fun today." I said.

"Me too. Thanks to you." He patted my head.

I giggled.

"Who woulda known ya knew how to play pool. I gotta tell Merle."

"Remember how mad the guys got?"

"Yeah." Daryl chuckled.

"And remember how ya almost fought?"

"Mhmm."

"And remember—

"Go to sleep, Leann."

"Okay."

There was a brief silence.

"Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry."

Daryl sighed loudly which made me giggled.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up, it was morning and Daryl wasn't next to me. "Daryl? I called. He didn't answer me. I climbed out of my bed and into the living room. I still didn't see him. "Daryl?" Again no answer. I looked out the window and he wasn't outside either. "That's odd." I said out loud. "Where could he be?" Eventually I just shrugged it off. I figured he want hunting or something like that. My brothers and daddy are frequent hunters.

I went into the kitchen to see if I could make breakfast for us. Daryl will probably be hungry when he gets back. I got the eggs out of the fridge, there were only three, then I found a pan in the bottom cabinet. Now I just have to turn on the stove. I gasped. Oh no! I almost forgot! It's a gas stove! I've used it before, but only when my daddy or one of my brothers were here. I'm not allowed to use it by myself ever!

I thought for a minute…then shrugged. "Oh well." I moved a chair in front of the counter so I could reach the matches, they were on the tippy top of one of the cabinets. Probably because I'm also not allowed to play with matches. I struggled to reach the box. When I had them I jumped down. I was proud of myself. But then I couldn't remember if you're supposed to turn the gas on first or light the match first. I thought real carefully. I closed my eyes so I could think harder. "What does daddy do?" I pictured him lighting the match then turning the gas on…so that's what I did. It worked! I felt proud again. I smiled to myself. See, I'm a big girl!

I then cracked the eggs in a bowl and beated them. I poured them into the pan and they made a sizzling sound. I took care of them when they were ready and made scramby eggs. Daryl is going to love them! I heard his truck pull up outside. He's just in time! I heard his footsteps come into the house.

"Leann." He called.

"In da kitchen!" I yelled happily.

He walked in and just stood there staring at me. He had a bag in his hand.

"I'm makin' breakfast!" I smiled. He didn't say anything so I went back to tending the eggs. I said without looking at him, "what's in the bag. I— I was cut off by a stinging smack on my bottom. "Ow!" I yelled. I spun around and looked at Daryl sadly. "Hey, what'd you do that fer?" I rubbed my bottom.

"You know yer not supposed to use the stove by yerself, little lady." Daryl said giving me a stern look.

"But I did it." I whined. "See! I'm a big girl!"

Daryl glared at me. "Ya coulda burned the house down! I leave you alone fer half an hour and you do this?" He turned the stove off and took the pan away sitting it on the table.

I looked down sadly. I was close to tears because I hated getting yelled at. "I just wanted to make ya some breakfast is all." I rubbed at my eyes. "I didn't mean to make ya mad." I whimpered.

Daryl knelt down in front of me. "Leann, ya know better. I'm not mad, okay?" He spoke softer.

"Ya didn't have to hollar at me." I cried. "Or hit me."

" _You_ didn't have to use the stove." Daryl said. "But…I'm sorry. I just got mad cuz it's dangerous fer ya to use matches. I don't want ya to get hurt, ya understand, sissy?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, runt. Just don't do it again." He stood up and patted my head. "Now, if ya stop yer cryin', I got a surprise fer ya."

I perked up immediately. "Surprise? Fer me?" I jumped up and down.

"Yup. But…ya gotta eat yer breakfast first."

I stopped jumping and crossed my arms over my chest. I huffed. "That's a mean trick."

Daryl smirked at me. "Come on." He picked me up and sat me in a chair. Then he spooned some eggs on a plate for each of us. I ate real quick because I was excited to see what was in the bag.

"Ay, slow down, little one. Yer gonna choke."

"I'm fine." I said with a mouthful of eggs. I took a big gulp of water with my last bite. "Done!" I pushed my plate away and smiled. "Can I see what's in the bag now?"

"Put yer plate in the sink first."

I hopped down off my chair and quickly put my plate in the sink. I heard Daryl chuckle at me. "All right, come on."

I followed him into the living room where he left the bag. I felt all jittery and anxious to see what it was.

"Ya ready?" He asked me.

"I been ready!" I squealed with excitement.

He laughed and handed me the bag. "Here, you open it."

I practically tore it open. When I saw what it was, I just stared at. I looked at up Daryl with a look of confusion.

"What's a matter? Don'tcha like it?"

I looked back down at what he got me. It was a pack of crayons! The sixty-four pack! I only needed a yellow and he got me all these! There were also three new coloring books! I loved it all, but the problem is…I didn't deserve it.

I walked over to Daryl and hugged him around the waist.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked me. I just buried my face in him and cried. "Ya were all excited then—are ya cryin'?"

"I don't deserve 'em, Daryl. I am bad."

"Le, what are ya talkin' about? Yer not bad."

"Yes, I am." I looked up at him and wiped at my tears. "I lied to you. I said I didn't steal that colorin' book…but I did." I cried.

He didn't say anything for minute. Maybe he's plotting my death?

"You stole it?"

I nodded. "From Billy."

"Well," Daryl knelt down in front of me, "the fact that ya stole a colorin' book ain't that bad, but…Billy's yer friend and ya don't steal from friends. What if he did that to you? Wouldn't ya be sad?"

I nodded. Tears started coming down again. "I'm a bad friend."

"Don't be too hard on yerself now, I don't think he's missin' it too much." Daryl cleared his throat. "But…ya did lie to me and you know how us Dixons feel about lyin'."

I nodded and looked at him through my tears. Here it comes, my death sentence. He didn't say anything, though. "What are ya gonna do?" I whimpered.

"Well, first," my brother stood up, "we're gonna take that book back to Billy and yer gonna tell him yer sorry."

"Okay." I nodded. "Then what?"

"I figure that out after."

I just stared at him.

"Okay, come on." He held his hand out. I took it after retrieving the coloring book from my room. I sure hope Billy isn't too mad.

* * *

We walked through the woods until we got to Billy's house. I stopped in front of the porch.

"Ya ready?" Daryl asked me.

I took a deep breath then nodded. We walked up the stairs, I counted each step, now we stood at the door. Daryl knocked on it then he moved me so I was standing in front of him.

About ten seconds later, Billy emerged from inside. "Annie?" He said. "Hey, is that my colorin' book?"

I looked up at Daryl.

"Go on, tell him." He urged me.

"Uh, yeah. It is." I handed it to him. "I took it. I didn't have any colorin' books of my own and I really wanted it. I know that's not a 'cuse but I just wanted to give it back to ya and say I'm sorry. And if it makes ya feel any better, I only colored one page and I didn't even finish it cuz I didn't have a yella crayin."

I heard Daryl let out a small laugh, but I didn't know what for. Billy looked to his book then me, but didn't say anything.

"So…ya forgive me?" I said.

He shrugged. "Sure, it's okay."

I exhaled in relief then smiled.

"Say, wanna come play? My daddy built me a tire swing."

I immediately got excited. I looked up at Daryl to see if it was okay. He nodded in approval. "Be home before dark."

"Come on, Annie!" Billy yelled and started running to the backyard. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"

"Hey, no fair!" I ran after him. "Ya didn't even say go!"

* * *

Billy and I played on the tire swing for a long time and it was really fun. We got bored of it eventually, though. While trying to find something else to do, we wondered down to the creek. We took our shoes off and splashed around. Then, we searched for things like, cray fish, snails, little fishes or anything else we could find.

Suddenly, we heard voices and looked up. To my disappointment, Bobby and a few other guys from school were headed our way on their bikes. I never liked Bobby. He's a spoiled brat and picks on other kids for being poor, especially me.

"Hey, is that Billy and Annie-cain't-read?" Bobby said. I was angry already. He calls me that because I have a learning disability. Other kids don't understand and think I'm dumb. "It is." He got off his bike and ran over. "What are you guys doin'? Playin' in the dirt?"

I glared at him. "What's it to you?"

"Just wonderin'." He laughed.

"Fer yer information, we're explorin'."

"Oh right." Bobby laughed. "So, you guys wanna go bike ridin' with us?"

I looked down. He knows I don't have a bike.

"Sure!" Billy yelled. He glanced at me. "Oh wait, never mind. I cain't. I'm playin' with Annie." He must have remembered I don't have a bike.

"Well, that's too bad." Bobby said. "We was on our way into town to get ice cream then go to Riverfest."

"Ice cream! Riverfest!" Billy shouted. "Aw man!"

"Well, I said you guys can come." Bobby said.

Billy looked at me. "Come on, Annie! Let's go get ice cream with them!"

"I…I cain't." I said.

"Why not?"

"…I don't have any money." I said quietly.

"What was that?" Bobby said. "Couldn't hear ya. Yer gonna have to speak up."

I wanted to smack that boy. I could feel my face heating up. "I said I don't have any money."

"Sorry, one more time?" He continued to tease me.

I was so mad I could spit. "I said I don't have any money!"

They all laughed at me, except Billy.

"Well, that sucks." Bobby said getting back on his bike. "Billy? Ya comin'?"

Billy looked at me then at them and back again. "Yeah, just let me run home and get my bike." My face fell. He turned to me. "Sorry, Annie." Then ran off with the others.

I took a minute to let what just happened sink in, then I sadly walked home.

* * *

Daryl was sitting on the porch messing with his crossbow when I got home. He looked up when he saw me. "Hey, I didn't think you'd be home so early."

I didn't say anything just walked up onto the porch.

"Ya have fun?"

I ignored his question. I sat on the floor next to him and kept my head down.

"Well, cain't ya answer me?" When I still didn't respond to him, he spoke again, "Le? Le, what's a matter? Did you and Billy get in a fight?"

I shook my head.

"Well, then what is it? Come on, tell me."

"…Billy and I were playin' by the creek and that nasty Bobby came by and ruined everythin'. They were ridin' bikes and I couldn't go cuz I don't have one." I cried.

My brother gave me a disappointed look and put his crossbow beside him. "Aw, baby, com'ere." I stood up and moved a little closer, he lifted me onto his lap. I leaned my head against his chest. "I know how ya feel. The same thing happened to me."

"Really?" I sniffed.

"Yup. Same kinda people, different neighborhood." He rubbed my back.

"When am I gonna get a real friend?"

"You will one day, sissy." He pushed my bangs out of my face. "But fer right now, yer stuck with my ugly ass."

That made me giggle. "Yer not ugly." I poked his cheek. "Ya just stink."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? When was the last time ya took a bath? I could smell ya from a mile away!" He lifted my shirt a little and gave me a raspberry on my tummy. I laughed loudly. He then threw me over his shoulder and carried me inside. I laughed the whole time. He dropped me on the couch.

"How 'bout we do somethin' tonight?" My brother said. "Somethin' different, somethin' fun."

I got excited because I remembered something that the boys said. "I'm so glad ya said that, Daryl, cuz I know exactly what we can do!"

"Yeah, what's that, runt?" He smirked.

"Let's go to Riverfest!"

His smile faded. "No ma'am. I'm not takin' ya there."

"Why not?" I asked confused.

"Cuz it can get dangerous. Somethin' really bad happened to girl there two years ago."

"But…but Bobby, Billy and everyone's goin'."

"Yer not Bobby or Billy."

"Please, Daryl!" I begged.

"Forget it!"

"Please!" I cried and hugged him around the waist. "I never been 'nere and really wanna go! I be with you! Ya never let nothin' bad happen to me!" I gave him my sad face.

He gave me an annoyed look. "Ya really wanna go, huh?"

I nodded. "Please, big brother!"

He sighed. "Well, all right."

"Yay!" I smiled.

"Hold it!" He stopped me. "On one condition, which I know yer not gonna like."

I gave him a puzzled look.

"Yer gonna change outta them clothes and put on a dress and look like a little lady fer once. That way people will know I have a little sister and not a little brother."

I gave him a disgusted look.

"I said ya wasn't gonna like it. But…that's the deal breaker."

I thought about it. I hate wearin' dresses. I really wanted to go to Riverfest, though. I guess I can put up with it for one day.

"Fine." I scrunched my nose up. "I'll wear a darn old dress."


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't see why I had to wear this stupid dress." I scowled. We were on our way to Riverfest.

"Cuz I said so, that's why." My brother replied. "And ya look real cute." He reached across and pinched my cheek.

"I don't wanna look cute." I crossed my arms and pouted.

Daryl parked the truck under a bridge and we got out. I was about to run across the street to the event, but my brother stopped me.

"Hand." He said. He come over to me and grabbed my hand, but I snatched it away.

"I don't need ya to hold ma hand, Daryl." I snapped. "Imma big girl."

"Okay, ya can be carried then."

"No!" I took his hand. There was no way I wanted to be carried around all night. What if kids from school saw?

We walked across the road to where everything was. There was tons of food stands, games, a few rides, a live band and even a petting zoo! "Wow!" I looked up at Daryl.

"What do ya wanna do first?" He asked me. Before I could answer, he spoke again. "Actually, let's get somethin' to eat first." He started dragging me over to a concession stand.

"But, Daryl, I wanna ride that swingy thing." I whined.

"You can do whatever ya want after we eat." So, it was final. He got himself nachos and a burger while I just wanted cheese fries. We sat and ate, I tried to eat fast because I was excited to do other things.

"That was a ridiculous price fer this amount of food." Daryl complained. "This place is a rip off."

"I cain't eat no more." I pushed my food in front of Daryl. He gave me a look. "You said the food I don't eat belongs to you." I giggled.

He sighed and finished my fries. I jumped up. "Come on, Daryl!" I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him.

"Okay, slow down, jeez. I'm comin'." Daryl let me lead the way. I took us to the swingy ride. "Hey, runt, I hate to tell ya this but I don't think yer gonna be tall enough to ride this."

I put my hands on my hips. "Yes, I am! You'll see!"

"No, you'll see." He smirked.

I gave him a dirty look then got in line. I waited for a few a minutes, when the guy finally opened the gate, I was about to walk passed him but he stopped me. "Whoa there, little miss. I think yer a bit small to ride this."

"No, I'm not! Measure me!" I walked over to the arrow that measured how tall you had to be to ride it. "See, I can ride!" I said excitedly.

He gave me a disappointed look. "I'm afraid not, honey. Yer off by at least two inches."

I pouted.

"Sorry, I can't let you on." He said.

I stomped out of line and back over to Daryl. "Ya were right. I'm too short."

Daryl didn't try to hide his smirk which made me more mad. "Well, there's tons of other things to do."

"Maybe I can ride the spiny one." I pointed across the way.

Daryl snorted. "Uh, kid, hate to break it to ya but if ya ain't tall enough to ride that, then ya sure as hell ain't gonna be tall enough to ride that one."

I glared at him. "Well, I'm gonna try!" I started walking over there, Daryl followed. The same thing happened. I wasn't tall enough. I was so disappointed.

"See, I told ya." Daryl patted my head.

"There's still one more ride left." I was hopeful.

"Ya just ain't gonna give it up, are ya?"

"Nope!" I skipped over to the ferris wheel and waited in line. Once it was my turn to get on, the man stopped me once again and told me I wasn't tall enough. But! He said if I got a parent to ride with me, he would let me. That meant there was still hope! I ran out of line and back to Daryl.

"Same thing, huh?" My brother asked me.

"He said if I had a big person to ride with, then I could go on!"

"Yeah, and?"

"You, silly! Yer my big person!"

"Oh no! I ain't ridin' that baby kiddie ride. There's people here."

My face fell. "Please, Daryl! I wanna ride it real bad!"

"Hell nah."

"Daryl!" I jumped up and down close to tears.

"No! I ain't ridin' it!" He snapped. "Ya can cry all ya want. I'm not cavin' this time. Now, you can either get over it and do somethin' else or have a temper tantrum and we'll go home." I put my head down and sadly stared at the ground. "Sorry, runt." He put his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Can I have a corn dog?"

He sighed. "Sure. Come on." He took my hand and we went back to the concession stand.

* * *

We sat down at a table while I ate. I got ketchup all over my face. Daryl got some napkins and wiped my face for me. "Yer disgustin'." He teased. I thanked him for cleaning me off.

"This band sucks." Daryl said. "What ever happened to the good 'ol country music?"

I finished my whole corn dog. "I'm done." I announced.

"Good girl." Daryl said. "I don't think I ever saw ya eat all yer food."

"I ate my eggs this mornin'." I reminded him.

"Oh yeah, ya did."

"I got a good idea. When we leave here, we can get ice cream."

"I ain't buyin' ya ice cream." He laughed a little.

"But it's my reward fer eatin' ma food."

"Okay." He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "We'll see."

I smiled. "Can we go play some games now?"

"Yes ma'am." He held out his for me to take and we made our way over there.

* * *

I tried playing a game where you have to shoot a target. They had a bunch of stuffed animals as prizes and I really wanted one. I don't have any toys at home. I tried about four or five times. I didn't have any money left after that. I put my head down and walked back over to Daryl who was sitting at a table a few feet away.

"What happened? Ya spend that five bucks already?" I nodded without looking at him. "I'm guessin' ya didnt win nothin'?" I shook my head. He grabbed me and lifted me onto his lap. "Sorry, kid. I cain't give ya no more money to waste on games. Ya understand that, right?" I nodded. I did understand. I know we can't afford things. Still…I was so upset. He pushed my hair back. "What game was it anyway?"

"The shoot the target one."

"What?" He stopped. "Why didn't ya say so in the first place?" I looked at him with suspicion. "I win it fer ya." He stood up still holding me.

"Really?" I was excited.

"Hell yeah. Come on, baby." He carried me over. He handed the man a dollar and I watched as he got the target on the first try. I looked up at him with pure joy. He laughed at me.

"He wins!" The man yelled. "Pick a prize."

"Tell him what ya want, baby."

"Hmm." I looked around. I spotted a dolphin and gasped. "The dolphin!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, little lady but that's our last dolphin and we need it for display." My face fell. I really wanted the dolphin.

"Hey, man." My brother said roughly. "The kid wants a dolphin."

"I know, but—

"So give 'er the dolphin!" Daryl glared at him. The man looked shocked. I stared back and forth at them. He looked like he was getting scared of my big brother's glare. And he should be. The man eventually just sighed and handed me the dolphin. I smiled and hugged it. "Thank ya, Daryl!"

He gave me one of his half grins. "Come on, sweet thang." We started walking away. "So, what do ya wanna do now?" I shrugged. "Well, let's take a walk. See what's here." We walked passed all the games and all the concession stands. There was a face painting stand. "Ya wanna get yer face painted?" I grimaced and shook my head. Daryl chuckled. "I understand." We walked a little further then someone called my brother's name. "Hey, Joe. What's goin' on?" He stopped to talk to some guy. I started to get bored so I tugged his pants. He ignored me so I did it again. "Knock it off, Leann." My brother scolded. I huffed. I turned around and spotted a stand with a bunch of portraits. I walked over to it and stared at them. They were really nice.

"Hey, Annie." I heard a voice say. I looked to my left and saw Bobby, Billy and the guys he was with earlier.

"Oh, hi." I said.

"Cool dolphin." Bobby said. "Did ya win it yerself?"

I thought for a minute. "Sure did." I lied. "I hit the target all by myself and everythang." I bragged.

"Wow!" One of them said.

"Big deal." Bobby said. "I could do it myself."

"Then why don't ya?" I teased.

"Yeah. Do it, Bobby." One of the other kids said.

"Fine! I will!" He started making his way over to the game. The others followed. I was about to but then glanced at Daryl. He was still talking to the man, and I didn't want to interrupt him to ask.

"Ya comin', Annie?" Billy asked.

"Uh, yeah." I ran to catch up.

Bobby handed the man a dollar, he aimed then missed the target. We all laughed. "I slipped. I can do it this time!" He yelled. He tried it again then missed.

"What's yer 'cuse this time, Bobby?" I teased him. The other boys laughed. He got mad and ran away. The other two boys followed after him.

"Nice one, Annie." Billy said.

"Thanks." I smiled. "Hey, wanna play tomorra?"

"I cain't. I got somethin' important to do. Day after tomorra?"

"Okay. Day after tomorra."

"Billy." A woman I assumed was his mama yelled.

"Well, I gotta go. See ya the day after tomorra!" He ran off.

I looked around and realized I was alone. Oh no! Where's Daryl? I walked back to where he was talking to the guy. He wasn't there. "Daryl!" I called. I walked around trying to find him. I was beginning to get scared. I don't know any of these people. I suddenly saw a sign for the petting zoo! How could I forget? I didn't go there yet! I started making my way over there when the sound of my name stopped me. "Leann Dixon!" I turned to see my brother and he did not look happy. "Get over here!" I ran to him. He roughly grabbed my wrist. "What do ya think yer doin'? Didn't I tell ya to stay right by my side?"

I gave him a barely audible "yes."

"Then, why'd ya do that?"

"Billy and Bobby and some other kids came by and I followed them. I was gonna ask ya but I didn't wanna interrupt yer conversation with the man."

"That is not an excuse! Yer a little kid! Ya cain't go off on yer own!"

"I know." I started to cry and wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry. I was scared."

"Yeah, well it's time to go!" He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.

"But I didn't get to go to the pettin' zoo yet."

"Too bad! Ya shouldn'ta runaway!" He carried me back to the truck and put me inside.

"I cain't believe ya would do that!" Daryl said while driving away. "And if ya think I'm takin' ya fer ice cream, now, ya got another thang comin'!"

I forgot all about that. I cried all over again and started begging. "Please, Daryl! I'm sorry! I want ice cream!"

"Bad behavior ain't rewarded!" He yelled. "We're gonna home and that's final! And ya can quit yer cryin' and beggin' or I'll give ya somethin' to really cry about!" He sounded just like my daddy when he said that, it scared me. I slouched down in my seat and didn't say anything else.

* * *

We were quiet the whole rest of the way home. I was worried about Daryl not talking to me, even though I wasn't talking to him either. "Daryl mad at me?" I finally spoke.

"Yeah, I am." He said immediately.

He parked the truck once we were home and I hurriedly climbed out then ran into the house. I went to my room and hid under the bed. Daryl said he was mad at me. I'm scared when big people say they're mad at me. And he threatened to whoop me. I hugged my dolphin tightly for comfort.

I heard the TV in the living room and knew Daryl was watching something. Still, I stayed under the bed.

I don't know how long I was under there, it seemed pretty long. I saw Daryl's feet walk into the room. "Le?" I didn't respond to him. "Le, where are ya?" I buried my face in my dolphin and hoped he would leave. Shortly after, I watched his feet walked away. Some dust got in my face and I sneezed. I heard Daryl's footsteps halt and he came back into the room. _Crap._ "Leann?" He walked further into the room and stood my the bed. Then he knelt down and looked under. I whimpered and held my dolphin tightly. "Sissy, what are ya doin'? Come out here." He didn't sound mad at all but I was still scared. I shook my head. "Please. It's okay. I ain't mad at ya, I promise." I looked at him for the first time and sniffed. He held his arms out to me. "Come on." I slowly moved closer and he helped me out then he lifted me and sat down on the bed with me on his lap. He held me and rested his head on top of mine. "I'm sorry I yelled at ya like that. You know I'd never hurt ya."

I sniffed. "I was scared."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"No. I mean when I couldn't find ya. I was scared."

He nodded. "I bet ya were. Don't ever do that again." He kissed my forehead. I hugged him tightly around the neck. We stayed like and eventually I fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up, it seemed pretty late in the morning. It was cloudy outside because it's raining. I wondered why Daryl didn't wake me up. I hopped out of bed and realized I was still wearing the dress I had on yesterday.

I found my brother in the kitchen tying a garbage bag. He looked over when he saw me. "Hey, sleepy head. Ya sure slept long."

"Why didn't ya wake me up?"

"Ay, I figured I'd let ya sleep." I watched him take the bag outside then come back in. "Ya want somethin' to eat?"

"Can I have peanut butter and jelly?"

"I don't think we got any jelly." Daryl stated.

"Just peanut butter is fine." I sat down at the table and leaned on my fist. I didn't hide my disappointment.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." My brother said with a knife in his teeth, he was opening the peanut butter.

"We always have one but never the other." I whined.

"Yeah, I know." A few seconds later, he sat the sandwich in front of me with a glass of water.

"Thank you, Daryl." I started eating. He sat down across from me, I noticed he wasn't eating anything. "Ain't ya gonna eat too?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry."

I put my hands on my hips. "Yer lucky yer big, Daryl. Whenever, I don't eat I'm sent to bed."

He smirked at me. "Finish eatin'. I'm gonna go take a shower."

I almost choked on my sandwich. "Yer takin' a shower? Why? Are ya goin' somewhere special?"

He gave me a strange look before answering. "No? I just need a shower."

"Oh okay." I smiled. "Ya might have to wipe the dust off yer soap first."

"Ha ha. Very funny." He said roughly and walked away. I giggled.

I finished my sandwich and went into the other room to color. I picked a page that had a frog on it. It's perfect because it's raining in the picture just like right now.

As I was coloring, I realized I had to use the bathroom really bad. Daryl is still in there, though. I shrugged and walked over to the door, the shower stopped just as I peeked in. "Daryl?"

My brother gasped and hurriedly put a towel in front of him before I saw anything. "Leann, what the hell are ya doin'? Get outta here!"

"Why?"

"Cuz I'm neked, ya little runt!"

"But you seen me neked 'fore."

"Yer a little kid! I'm a grown ass man! Get out!"

"But I have to pee!" I cried.

"Well, yer just gonna have to hold it!"

"But everybody else comes in and goes pee when I'm in here."

"Once again, yer a little kid!"

"Daryl! I have to go really bad!" I cried again.

He sighed then stepped out with the towel around him. "Go ahead."

I ran in as he ran out. "Ah." I said as I relieved myself.

By the time I was out, Daryl already had clothes on. He changes really fast. He was standing outside the door. "Better?" I nodded and smiled. "Good. Now, if ya ever walk in on me again I'm gonna beat yer little ass with the first object I find. Got it?" I giggled because I knew he really wouldn't do that. I went back to my coloring while Daryl had some show on that looked pretty boring.

* * *

I colored for a long time, I started to get tired of it and when I looked up I realized the rain stopped. It's probably muddy. I got excited then because I love mud! I hopped down off my chair and walked over to Daryl. "Hey, Daryl?"

"What do ya what, runt?"

"Can I go play outside?"

"No ma'am."

"Why?" I pouted.

"Cuz it's rainin'."

"Nah uh! It stopped."

"Leann, why cain't just stay inside and color fer today?"

"I wanna go outside. Please, Daryl?" I gave him "the face."

"Oh all right." He caved. "If ya go into the woods don't go too far."

"Okay!" I was about to run out when I had a thought. I should probably change my clothes. This dress will get ruined. Then I had another thought. That's a great idea! If it gets ruined, I can't wear it no more!

"Try not to get too dirty." Daryl called.

Oh, I'm going to get so dirty, Daryl. I evilly rubbed my hands together.

I walked into the woods, but not too far like my brother said. I was in search of mud. It took a while, but eventually I found the biggest muddiest puddle ever! _Well, here goes!_ I thought. I jumped right in and landed on my stomach. Then rolled around like the piggies do. I did it over and over for a long time until I was covered from head to toe. I stood up and looked down at myself. I was caked with mud. I jumped up and down with glee and practically skipped home.

Daryl was out there doing something with the truck.

"Hi, Daryl." I smiled.

"Hey, kid." He glanced at me then did a double take. "Leann, what did you do?" He didn't sound angry he sounded worried. His eyes were wide.

"Played in the mud." I grinned up at him.

"Yeah, I see that. If I woulda known that's what ya had planned, I never woulda let ya come out here." He grabbed me and looked me over. "Oh, it's yer hair and everythin'." He was trying to brush as much off me as he could. "Shit! Yer in yer dress. That ain't never gonna come clean." He sighed. "Come on." He lifted me but held me away from him. He made me take everything off right there on the porch then he lifted me again and took me straight into the bathroom, set me down, then started the bath water.

"Are ya mad at me, Daryl?" I asked innocently.

He hesitated. "…well, ya know better than to do that. But…I let ya go when I knew it was a bad idea so I guess it's my fault. I shoulda at least had ya change yer clothes." I looked down and started to feel bad. It wasn't his fault, I do know better. In fact, I did it on purpose.

"Waters ready." Daryl said. He helped me in. The warm water felt pretty nice. Daryl helped get the mud off me. Some parts of it had dried so he really had to scrub it, which hurt. "Ow ow." I cried.

"I'm not tryin' to hurt ya." He said. "Jeez, Leann, ya really know how to get dirty."

I started crying for real now. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"All right, settle down. None of that now." He soothed. "It wasn't yer fault."

"Yes, it was! I did it on purpose cuz I wanted to ruin my dress!" I admitted.

"Why would ya wanna do that?"

"Cuz you made me wear it and I hate wearin' dresses so I thought if I ruined it, I'd never have to wear it again."

"Leann, yer bein' silly. Why do ya hate wearin' dresses so much?"

"I am bad!" I cried ignoring his question. "You have to punish me!"

"I think yer gettin' yer punishment right now." He raised his eyebrows. "Hold still." He scrubbed my head hard to get all the mud out of my hair. "Ya ever gonna do this again?"

"No." I answered immediately.

"Good." He cleared his throat. "I think yer good." He stood me up so he could give me a better inspection. Then lifted me out of the tub. He wrapped a towel around me then dried my hair with another. "Okay." He said. "Go get dressed. I'll be in the living room when ya come out." He patted my bottom as I walked away.

I slowly put on a pair of undies and the oversized t-shirt that I wear to bed then walked out into the room with Daryl.

"Ya okay?" He asked me. I nodded. He stared at me for a few seconds then laughed. "Ya sure was a dirty girl."

"Am I in trouble?" I asked innocently.

"No, yer not in trouble." He picked me up. "But don't do that again!" I giggled.

* * *

The rest of the day, I colored a little more, Daryl and I ate dinner then played cards and when it got dark, we just watched TV until it was time for me to go to bed.

Daryl stayed in my room with me until I was ready to go to sleep.

"I'm 'apposed to play with Billy tomorra." I remembered.

"Oh yeah?" My brother asked. I nodded.

"Well, stay away from mud." He smirked.

"Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"I like you bein' here with me. I wish ya could stay all the time."

"I like bein' here with ya too. But…I cain't be here all the time, baby. Just like you cain't. Ya have school in a few months."

That thought gave me a sickening feeling in my stomach. "Don't remind me."

He chuckled. "Sorry. I know ya hate school."

"It's cuz the teachers mean, Bobby's mean and I don't got any friends."

"I thought Billy was yer friend?"

"He is but he picks other people over me."

"Aw." He pinched my cheek. "Well, try makin' some new friends. Maybe a girl?"

"I don't like girls. They're too…girly." I scrunched my nose up.

Daryl laughed at me. "Okay. I think it's time fer bed."

"Are ya comin' back in here later?"

"Yeah, so don't take up the whole bed." He poked my stomach and made me giggle. Then started walking away.

"Wait! Kiss me goodnight, Daryl." He smirked and came back over to me. He went for my cheek but instead of kissing it he gave me a raspberry. I giggled loudly.

He laughed too. "All right, give me a real kiss." I kissed him then he tapped my nose. "Go to sleep." I smiled at him before I rolled over and got comfortable.

* * *

I woke up and stretched then glanced at the clock. Oh no! I overslept again! I was supposed to meet Billy at eleven! I jumped out of bed, changed my clothes and used the bathroom as fast as I could.

I didn't see Daryl when I ran out in the living room. Oh well. I put my shoes on then ran out the door.

I found Billy in the woods sitting on our rock. We called it "ours" because it's where we always met up. Plus, it's the halfway point from each of our houses.

"Hey, yer late." Billy complained.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"What happened? Was ya gettin' a whippin' or somethin'?"

"No, my brother would never do that to me."

"You sure are lucky, Annie, with yer daddy not home. My daddy whips me probably once a week."

"So does my daddy when he's home. Come on, let's go climb trees!" I changed the subject.

Billy and I found a tall tree with a lot of branches so it would be easy to climb. We climbed almost to the top then just sat there and talked.

"Hey, how come yer brother calls ya Le?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "He just does. He always has."

"That's weird."

"Well…yer names William. Why don't people call you Willy instead of Billy?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. My folks always called me Billy."

"Well, same fer me with Daryl."

"Guess it makes sense. Wanna go play by the creek?"

"Sure." I hopped down. "Race ya!" I took off before Billy was even out of the tree.

"Hey, no fair!" He yelled after me.

I ran all the way there, Billy finally caught up.

"I win! That makes you a rotten egg!"

"That weren't fair! I wasn't ready!"

"That's payback fer the other day." I stuck my tongue out at him. Then we laughed.

* * *

We played there for a pretty long time. It looked like the sun was going down so I knew it was evening. I should probably get home soon. Daryl always tells me to get home before dark.

Billy and I began walking back.

"Wanna come to my house and play?"

"I cain't. I gotta get home."

"Oh okay. See tomorra or somethin'!"

"Bye!" I called as I ran home.

I walked inside the house and slipped my shoes off at the door.

"Where were you?" I heard my brother's voice.

"I was playin' with Billy." I stated.

"Yeah? Did ya tell me that?"

I looked at him. "I told ya last night, 'member?"

"Yeah, I remember. But ya didn't tell me before ya left."

I thought for a minute. I gasped. He's right! I didn't tell him. I was in such a hurry that I forgot. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Really? Ya forgot? After I've told ya time after time to never leave without tellin' someone? Ya know how dangerous it is." I put my head down. "Leann Dixon, you know better." He said sternly. "But I'm gonna make sure ya never "forget" again."

I gave him a puzzled look. "What do ya mean?" There was a long silence. Daryl just stared at me like he was thinking or something.

"Yeah." He finally spoke. He came over to me and picked me up. "I think it's time fer a spankin'."

I felt the blood drain from my face and panic set in. "No!"

"Yes."

"No! No! Please, Daryl!" I struggled to get away but Daryl was far from letting go. I knew I was going to lose, which caused me to panic even more. He carried me into the kitchen, pulling out a chair he sat down then laid me over his lap. I was still struggling to get away. He held me down with one arm. Four hard smacks came down fast on my butt. I stopped struggling after that because it was over. I lost. I sadly stared at the floor.

"I didn't punish ya the other day when ya lied, I let it go. Same with when ya ran away at Riverfest and ruined yer dress on purpose by playin' in the mud. Well, I'm not lettin' this one get away. No ma'am. This is long overdue." He gave me another four smacks then set me on my feet in front of him. That was eight altogether. I guess he did that because of my age.

I rubbed my eyes. "That didn't hurt." I said sadly.

"It didn't hurt, huh? Then why ya cryin'?"

"I ain't." A sobbed escaped.

"I don't know who yer tryin' to kid?"

I stood there sobbing not looking at Daryl.

"All right." My brother said. "You know what happens after a lickin'. In yer room."

I turned quickly and ran to my room. I laid on my bed on my stomach and sobbed. I hated Daryl right then. He's the meanest person ever! Well, I guess not as mean as my daddy. But still! I wish the ceiling would collapse on me and break my legs then he'll really feel bad and feel sorry he spanked me. Or maybe someone will come in here and kidnap me. Then I'll be gone and he'll miss me real bad and feel sorry. I had to think of something to make him regret ever hittin' me.

* * *

After some time, I peeked my head out of my room. My brother was sitting at the card table in the living room. "Daryl?"

"I didn't say ya could come out yet. Yer still in timeout, Leann."

"I don't feel good." I said weakly and put my hand on my stomach. He made a gesture for me to come over to him. I did and he felt my forehead.

"Ya feel fine."

"My tummy hurts." I cried.

"What's it feel like? Ya think ya might throw up?"

I shook my head. "It just hurts."

"Why don't ya go lay down then?"

"I cain't. It hurts to lay on my stomach and I cain't lay on my back cuz ya hurt me."

He gave me a stern look. "I know what yer doin'. Yer tryin' to make me feel sorry fer ya. Well, it ain't workin'. Now, get back in yer room and don't come out til I tell ya to."

"I hate you!" I snapped. "I hope ya leave and never come back!" I turned and stomped into my room. I saw the look on Daryl's face, though. He looked shocked and maybe a little hurt. I didn't care in that moment, though.

* * *

I laid on my bed and sobbed. After having time to think, I felt awful for what I said to Daryl. I hope he's not mad at me. I wish he would come in here so I could hug him. I don't think he's going to, though. It's already kind of late, he probably went to bed. I opened my door and peeked out, all the lights were off. He must have went to sleep in my daddy's room. I sadly closed the door and cried some more. I think I ended up crying myself to sleep.

That night, I had a dream that I got up one morning and no one was here. I waited and waited but no one ever came home. I was completely alone. There was no food and it was dark. I was terrified. I looked out the window and saw the seasons change. That's when I knew that I would be alone forever and no one was ever coming back. I laid on the floor and bawled my eyes out calling out my brothers name. The more I screamed the more scared I became.

Finally, I jolted awake. I sat there breathing heavily. I was terrified and really wanted Daryl. My clock told me it was three in the morning. I didn't care, though. I jumped out of bed and ran to my brother in the other room. "Daryl! Daryl!" I jumped on the bed.

"Leann? What's a matter?" My brother was immediately alarmed.

I hugged him around the neck. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I sobbed uncontrollably.

"Baby, what happened?" He held me.

"I h-had a dream ya wasn't here! Ya were g-gone and wasn't comin' b-back!"

"Shh." He rocked me. "It's okay. I'm here. I ain't goin' no where."

I cried into his neck for a long time. I finally calmed down a little. "I'm sorry what I said to you. Please don't hate me."

"Oh, ya know I could never hate ya." He wiped my tears away.

I sniffed. "Was ya sad after I said those mean things?"

"Yeah, I was sad." He kissed my forehead. "Come on. Lay down." We moved into more comfortable positions. Daryl had his arm around me and I laid my head on his chest and one arm was holding onto him for dear life. "Are ya still mad at me?" I asked.

"Are ya still mad at _me_?"

"No."

"Neither am I." He pushed my hair back.

"I'm sorry fer everythin'. I'm very sorry." I cried.

"It's okay, runt." He continued to push my hair back.

"I love you, Daryl."

I love ya, too."

I felt so much better. I was able to relax and eventually fall asleep.

* * *

When I woke next, it was morning…and I felt sick to my stomach…for real this time. What are the odds?

I got up to find Daryl. He was in the kitchen making breakfast. "Daryl?" I said weakly.

"Hey, sweet thang. Breakfast will be ready in a minute so don't go no where."

"I cain't eat. I don't feel good." I went over to him and hugged his leg.

"I ain't fallin' fer that again." He let out a small laugh.

"I ain't fakin' this time."

He felt my forehead with the back of his hand. "Oh baby, yer burnin' up."

I suddenly got a real sick feeling and whimpered. I ran into the the bathroom and puked in the toilet, I just made it, too. Daryl must have followed me in because I saw him standing there. He grabbed some tissues and wiped my mouth. "Ya okay?"

I nodded. "I still don't feel good."

"Poor lil thang." He picked me up and held me. I laid my head on his shoulder. He kept rubbing my back. "Let me know if ya gotta throw up again. Don't do it down my back." He chuckled.

He held me the entire time he was cooking. I didn't want him to put me down, I wanted him.

"Ya okay?"

"Yeah." I said weakly.

"Aw." He kissed my cheek. "Don't worry, you'll feel better soon. It's probably just a twenty-four hour bug."

"That's still too long."

Daryl chuckled. He laid me down on the couch while he ate breakfast. He came in and sat with me once he was done. He put a thermometer in my mouth. "Wonder how ya got sick?"

"It's my punishment cuz I am bad."

"Le…yer not bad. Quit sayin' that."

"I do bad things sometimes."

"Yeah, cuz yer a kid. Yer not bad."

I gave him a weak smile. He took the thermometer out and looked at it.

"Hey, look at that. Fever's goin' down already."

"That means I'll be better in no time." I smiled.

"Yup." He pinched my cheek. "How 'bout when yer feelin' better like tomorra or somethin', I take ya fer ice cream? How's that sound?"

I nodded weakly and smiled. "I love ya, big brother."

"I love ya too, sissy."

I smiled at my big brother. He may not be perfect, but he'll always be my hero.

* * *

 _There goes my hero_

 _Watch him as he goes_

 _There goes my hero_

 _He's ordinary_


End file.
